The 46th Harry Brittain Fellowship
17 May to 24 June 2004
KIRSTY PICKETT (New Zealand)
We are different yet so much alike
In six weeks crammed full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences where expectations have been exceeded on an almost daily basis, it should be easy to jot down a few words about one part of the programme that has touched or inspired us. But as I reflect on my time as a 2004 Harry Brittain Fellow there's no one destination that stands out, rather the journey as a whole.
We have had audiences with some of the best news minds in the business who have shared their knowledge and experience freely and equally shown genuine interest in what we might have to contribute. We've been to some of the most troubled areas of the Northern Ireland where, in the midst of ongoing uncertainty, we've been witness to examples of great unity.
We've been inside Buckingham Palace, were in the House of Commons when Tony Blair was flour-bombed, been down a Welsh coal mining pit, inside a high security jail in Northern Ireland and walked the set of Coronation Street.
Our days have been varied and interesting. Our preconceptions have been challenged and our minds keenly focussed outside our normal sphere. But it's not all been brain drain. We have been tourists, trigger-happy on our cameras. We've spent time in pubs and restaurants - laughed together, debated, argued even - and forged enduring friendships.
One of the biggest strengths of the fellowship has been what we've learned from each other; an appreciation of each other's culture, working and living environments. Understanding that we are very different, yet we are so much alike.
For further information on the training programme,
contact
Jane Rangeley -
jane@cpu.org.uk
Tel: +44 20 7583 7733 Fax: +44 20 7583 6868.
